Feed device for cartridge-belt-filling machines.



'NO. 754,345. PATENTED MAR. a, 1904.

J. RAMSAY & T. E. RIDDLE.

FEED DEVICE PORCARTRIDGE BELT FILLING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 3, 1903. 110 MODEL. 2 sums-sum 1.

No. 754345. PATENTEDMAR. 8 1904.

J. RTAMSAY & T. E. RIDDLE. FEED DEVICE FOR CARTRIDGE BELT FILLINGMAQHI'NES.

APPLICATION nun AUG. 3, 1903. no MODEL. 2 sums-alumna.

Uivirae Srarns Patented March 8, 1904.

PATENT @FFTCE.

ASSTGXORS TO VICKERS SON S ENGLAND.

8: MAXIM, LIMITED, OF \VESTMINSTER,

FEED DEVICE FOR CARTRlDGE-BELT-FILLING MACHINES- SEECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent N 0. 754,345, dated March 8, 1904:.

Application filed August 3,1908.

To (all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, JAMES RAMSAY and THOMAS EDWARD RIDDLE, engineers,both subjects of the King of Great Britain, residing at Park CrescentHouse, Erith, in the county of Kent, England, have invented a certainnew and useful Improved Feed Device for CartridgeBelt-Filling Machines,of which the following is a specification.

This invention has reference to a feed device for machines for fillingwith cartridges the belts employed in machine-guns, said devicecomprising a hopper so constructed that the cartridges can betransferred thereto directly from the box, clip, or the like in whichthey are packed instead of, as at present, first removing them from thepackage andthen placing them into the hopper.

According to our invention we provide above the hopper of thebelt-filling machine a more or less vertical chute to receive the rowsor columns of cartridges from the package, the said chute being formedwith grooves to engage with the heads of the cartridges in the case ofrim-cartridges or with projections to engage the cannelures of rimlesscartridges. The chute is provided with means whereby only one column ofcartridges therein is in communication with the hopper at a time. Thecartridges descend into said hopper by the action of gravity and aretaken one by one therefrom by the action of the pusher of thebelt-filling machine, and are thereb placed in the belt, as is wellunderstood in connection with cartridge-belt-filling machines.

In order that our said invention may be clearly understood and readilycarried into effect, we will describe the same more fully with referenceto the accompanying drawings, which illustrate our feed device for usewith rimless cartridges.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the beltfilling machine with ourimproved feed device applied thereto. This view also shows thehopper-chute being tilled with cartridges from the package containingthem. Fig. 2 is a front elevation, and Fig. 3 a vertical section, of theSerial No. 168,120. (No model.)

hopper and chute shown separately. Fig. 4 1s a transverse section on theline 1 1 of Fig.

2. Fig. 5 isv a front elevation, and Fig. 6 a' vertical section, of theaforesaid hopper and chute in which three rows or columns of cartridgesare providedfor.

' A is the body of the belt-filling machine, which is capable of beingclamped by suitable means to the rim B of one of the gun-carriage wheelsor to some other support. This machine is of the well-known kind made byVickers Sons & Maxim, Limited, and for :ns no part of our claims in thepresent application for patent. It will therefore suffice to state thatit comprises a reciprocating bar or cam-shaft 0, having at one end thecartridge-pusher D 'and at the other end the belt-pocket opener .E,movement being imparted to said'bar or shaft C by suitable mechanism anda crankhandle Q. As the said bar or. shaft C reciprocates it transmits astep-by-step motion to a feed-pawl F through the cam C crank 0connecting-rod C2 and crank C thereby feeding the belt G through themachine and bringing the belt-pockets in succession opposite the pusherD and pocket-opener E. As the said bar or shaft C moves in one directionthe pusher D permits the lowermost cartridge to fall in front of it andat the same time the opener E enters an empty pocket of the belt and byan angular movement opens the latter. Then as as the bar or shaft 0moves in the opposite direction the said opener E retires and the pusherD thrusts the cartridge in front of it into the open pocket. A fulldescription of this machine and its operation will be found in thespecifications of British patents N 0. 4,349 of the year 1896 and No.1,246 of the year 1899.

H is the hopper of our improved feed de- I vice, and H is a lug orprojection formed on a bracket thereof for fitting into a correspondingrecess in the body A of the belt-filling machine.

I is the chute, which is movable about a hinge or pivot. The chutecomprises an open-sided receptacle divided into columns or channels by apartition or partitions for the reception of the bases of thecartridges, the mouth of said chute being trumpet-shaped in order tofacilitate the introduction of the cartridges into the columns orchannels from the aforesaid boxes, clips, or other packages. Referringmore particularly to Figs. 1 to a, the said chute I has a transversepivot-pin d, which is carried by an extension h of the hopper, this pinpermitting the chute I to oscillate about said pins axis in order tobring one or other of its columns or channels 2" 91" opposite the mouthh of the said hopper H. Connected with the outer end of the pivot-pin iis an arm 2' having a stop 2', which works in a segmental slot if in theextension h of the hopper in order to limit the extent of theoscillatory movements of the chute and insure that the channels shalltruly lic opposite the mouth of the hopper when said chute completes arocking movement in either direction. For retaining the said chute inits extreme positions the aforesaid arm i has a spring catch or bolt 7?,and the said extension of the hopper has a stud or roller h projectinginto the path of said bolt 71 and occupying a median position relativeto the amplitude of rocking movement of the chute. The nose of the saidbolt 11 is' made conical, so that when pressure is exerted on the chuteto rock it about its pivot the said bolt will be pressed against theroller 1 2/ with sufiicient force to cause its displacementagainst thepressure of its spring and permit it to pass over the roller and reachthe opposite side thereof. It will then by its spring be projected ontothe opposite side of the stop and again perform its stoppingfunctionuntil liberated by pressure on the chute in the opposite direction. Themouth of the hopper has wings or lateral curved flanges h if, each ofwhich acts as a shelf to support the cartridges in the channel of thechute that may for the time being be above it. The said channels areprovided with ridges or projections 2' d", which engage with thecannelures that are formed near the base of rimless cartridges, andthereby prevent the cartridges from falling forwardly from the chuteduring their descent and supply to the hopper. As the aforesaid pusher Dof the belt-filli g machine passes outwardly through the hopp r H itpermits a cartridge to descend into the bottom of the hopper by gravity,whence said cartridge (on the return movement of the pusher) is pushedlongitudinally through the opening h" into the adjacent pocket of thecartridgebelt, which pocket has been previously opened-for its receptionby the pocketopener, as aforesaid. W hen all the cartridges have beenexhausted from one of the channels in the chute, it is swung about itspivot-pin by the hand of the operator into a position to bring the nextchannel opposite the mouth of the hopper, this operation being performedchute located above said hopper and provided without the necessity ofstopping the working of the belt-filling machine. When it is desired toreplenish the chute with fresh car tridges, the package containing themis denuded of its lid, so as to expose the bases of the cartridges, andsaid cartridges are introduced directly from the package into the chute,as represented in Fig. 1, this operation being also, if desired,performed without stopping the working ofthe machine.

Figs. 5 and 6 illustrate a similar feed device to that above described,except that in this case three channels are provided for the eartridgesinstead of two. This arrangement necessitates the employment of two ofthe studs or rollers if, so that the catch or bolt 2' is able to assumea middle position when the middle column of cartridges is being suppliedto the hopper, as shown in Fig. 5. In other respects this feed device islike that shown in the preceding figures, and therefore requires nofurther description.

What we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates, is

1. The combination with a cartridge-beltfilling machine of afeed-hopper, a swinging with a plurality of substantially verticalcartridge-channels, a pivot-pin on said chute supported by an extensionof the hopper, an arm on said pivot-pin, means for limiting the ex tentof swinging of the said arm and chute, and means for retaining the chutein the position in which it is swung about its pivot to bring the cartridge-channels opposite the hopper, substantially as and for thepurpose specified. 1 I00 2. The combination with a cartridge-beltfillingmachine, of-a feed-hopper, a swinging chute located above said hopperand provided with a plurality of vertical or approximately verticalcartridge-channels, a pivot-pin on said 10 5 chute supported by anextension of the hopper, an arm on said pivot-pin, a projection on saidarm working in a segmental slot in said extension for limiting theextent of swinging of the chute, a spring-controlled bolt carried 1 bysaid arm and having an inclined head, and a projection on said extensionlying in the path of the spring-controlled bolt and cooperating with thelatter for retaining the chute in the positions to which it is swungabout its pivot to bring the cartridge-channels opposite the hopper,substantially as and for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands, in presence of twosubscribing wit- I21 nesses, this 21st day of July, 1903.

J AMES' RAMSAY. THOMAS EDWARD RIDDLE. =Witnesses:

\NALTER E. Boone, ARTHUR NIBLoox.

